BRGM's research and experiments are helping us to better understand the phenomena involved and to develop appropriate remedial solutions. It also provides the stakeholders involved with reference data and practical tools for managing soils and developing brownfield sites. These complementary contributions help to restore the soil's ability to fulfil its essential functions.
Infographic: ‘Solutions for healthy soils’. Source: BRGM mag, issue 02, published by BRGM.
© BRGM
Detailed description
The different solutions to ensure healthy soil
Decontamination of polluted soil:
- Pollution assessment: soil sampling and analysis and exploitation of the database for analysis of urban soil (BDSoIU) (existing data and anthropised pedogeochemical backgrounds - FPGA).
- Recommendations for soil decontamination
- Research on the extraction and degradation of emerging pollutants (PFAS).
Revitalisation of degraded soils:
- Evaluation of soil geochemical quality: soil sampling and analysis and exploitation of BDSoIU database (existing data and anthropised pedogeochemical backgrounds - FPGA)
- Mapping the functional state of soils
- Helping local stakeholders determine the economic, environmental and regulatory viability of the operation.
- Mineralogical correction and controlled granulation, by adding minerals, secondary materials (excavated earth, mine tailings, sludge and waste) and water.
- Setting up and monitoring a trial on part of the site.
Phytostabilisation of former mine deposits:
- Floristic inventory of the site
- Laboratory tests to identify the most suitable amendments
- Setting up and monitoring a trial on part of the site.
Supporting the recovery of excavated soil:
- Information on regulations and provision of practical guides and tools on tex-infoterre.brgm.fr
- Management of the Trackdéchets regulatory platform for online declaration of TEX flows.
- Managing Terrass, the platform for the exchange of excavated earth (TEX).
- Making available the Hydrotex tool for assessing the impact of the reclamation of excavated soil on groundwater
BRGM mag no.2: How can we save our soils?
© BRGM
BRGM mag no.2: How can we save our soils?
The second issue of BRGM mag continues to pursue the magazine's ambition: to share knowledge, enlighten and engage in dialogue and to make the Earth sciences accessible to as many people as possible. For beneath our feet lie some of the solutions for meeting today's environmental, energy and sovereignty challenges.
Soils play an essential role for the economy, the environment and society: they support biodiversity, regulate the climate, filter pollutants and store carbon and water. However, these functions are now being degraded by multiple pressures, through artificialization, pollution, erosion and loss of organic matter.
Studying soils, particularly urban and industrial soils, or phenomena such as erosion and pollution, is one of BRGM's missions. The main article in the second issue of BRGM mag is devoted to this major subject.
